You're screwed up and brilliant, look like a million dollar man
by anotherreasonwhynot
Summary: Jo is betrayed by a loved one, and needs someone to show him that men can be nice, too. Her brother introduces her to Tommy Conlon, a hometown hero but who most still regard as a mess of a man. Takes place roughly two years after Sparta. Rated M for language and future smut.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: There's nothing here but lies**

Her heartbeat throbbed in her ears as she rushed down the stairs, the sound of blood rushing through her system almost blinding. Once she made it through the street door she slammed it shut behind her, startling the two women having a smoke on the sidewalk. She was confused, betrayed, fuming, mortified, miserable, all at once. Burying her fists deep into her jacket pockets to protect them from the cold October weather she stomped on, so blinded by her current state she hardly saw where she was going. All she wanted was to get away, away from that place, away from her feelings, away from him. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, trying to fight them back. Her brain had trouble forming a coherent thought after the sight she just witnessed, her legs carrying her simply onwards. One thought occupied the space from everything else. "How dare he?" was running over and over in her head.

A car honking startled her to reality and she stopped in her tracks, preventing her from being run over. Breathing a sigh of relief she looked up, noticing that her legs had carried her near the sports equipment shop where her brother worked. She made her way over, the bell next to the door chiming as she stepped in. She didn't see him anywhere, so she made her way to the register, locking eyes with a beautiful blonde.

"Can I help you?" the blonde girl enquired.

"Hi, is Jesse Adams around?" she replied, her hands still in the pockets of her leather jacket, her foot tapping the floor softly. Biting her bottom lip she had trouble maintaining eye contact with the blonde, still trying to stop herself from crying.

"He's on break right now, but he should be back any minute."

"Well can't I just go back there?" she replied nodding towards the back room, a single tear escaping her eye.

"Hey Jo, ignore that, she's new," she heard the familiar voice of her brother's co-worker Ethan, but couldn't bring herself to turn her head to greet him. "You can let her through, Cary Ann."

"Thanks, Ethan," she called out, stepping around the cash register and ignoring the timid apologies coming from the new girl. The door behind Cary Ann led her to a corridor. She saw the break-room door was open, and she could see her brother sitting at the table, sipping on something. He looked up as he heard her approaching, a surprised smile spreading on his face.

"Hey sis, didn't know you were back in town," he said as he stood up to give her a hug, and she walked into it gratefully, almost knocking him over. She took a deep breath, squeezing her arms around him.

"Yeah. Neither did Alex. I just walked in on him and… someone else," she said, her voice breaking at the end at which the tears started flowing. Jesse's jaw dropped as she pushed her slightly away to look into her eyes, grabbing her shoulders.

"What? Alex is… cheating on you?" he said, his brows furrowing as she looked down. "Can't be," he continued, shaking his head in disbelief. She shook his hands off her shoulders and looked up at him defiantly.

"Well if he isn't then he was doing something really interesting to that woman with his dick," she cried. She watched as the information sunk in, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"I can't believe he'd do that," Jesse said, sinking back onto the chair, rubbing his hands over his short dark brown hair. "That son of a bitch," he suddenly exclaimed getting back on his feet, causing her to jump.

"I'm sorry," he said, motioning for her to hug him again and she obliged. "Stupid question, but how are you feeling?" he said, stroking her hair as she cried softly into his chest. She sighed.

"When I left there I was feeling a million things…" she replied, trying to get her breathing to normal. "Now I'm sort of numb. I can't fathom what's happened, I keep thinking this is a dream and I'll wake up any second."

"Oh, sis…" he replied, hugging her close. "You want me and Ethan to go beat him up for you?"

The corners of her mouth turned up and she let out a dry little chuckle between sobs.

"I'm not kidding," Jesse claimed, but she knew he was. She pulled back from him.

"Yeah that would be great, thanks," she said with a dry smile, wiping her eyes. "God, I can't believe this! How could he turn out to be just another asshole?" she exclaimed towards the roof spreading her arms, intending her words towards a higher power.

"Can I do anything for you? Can I kick him out for you? Badmouth him all over town? Tweak the bike he bought from us before he comes get it?" Jesse offered, and she managed a laugh.

They agreed she'd come by the store again when his shift was over so he'd accompany her back to the apartment. He returned to work and she quickly took advantage of the staff restroom, splashing her face with cold water and taking a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down.

Back on the street she wandered aimlessly, lost in her thoughts, eventually ending up in Allegheny Commons Park. She sat on a bench, wrapping her jacket and scarf tighter around her, when it really hit her.

Her boyfriend of two and a half years had cheated on her. Was cheating on her? She didn't know. She hadn't stopped to ask questions. She had stood there, her mouth falling open as he'd scrambled on his feet trying to wrap the sheet around him, leaving the woman to cover herself with a pillow. _Jo's _pillow. _Honey, this isn't what it looks like_, he'd managed to say before she'd reached to the side table, grabbed the first thing she could reach and hurled it at him, right before storming out.

She had been on a business trip in New York, and wasn't supposed to be back until the next day. _Who knows how long this might have gone on if I had stayed in New York_, she thought, sighing.

She never wanted to see him again, that was the one thing she was sure of. She had no idea if he'd be at her apartment once she got there, but for his own good, she hoped he wouldn't: her brother just might kill him. Jesse was two years older than her, and he had always been her best friend, and she his. He had always been extremely protective of her especially after their parents separated and their father moved out, but he also knew when to stand down, respecting her boundaries. She often thanked her lucky stars for having such an awesome brother. Now, more than ever, she would need his help, no doubt about that.

She didn't know long she'd been sitting lost in her thoughts, but as she noticed it was starting to get dark and Jesse's shift was nearing its end she stood up. Why did Alex cheat, that was the question on her mind as she started walking. She realized that she had for a while gotten the vibe that he wasn't feeling as masculine as he wanted to. She was the one who supported him financially, he lived under her roof, doing "research" for his thesis, which he was allegedly already doing when they met. She chuckled joylessly. Maybe this was his way of feeling masculine again. Whatever his reason might be, she thought, she refused to be broken down by this. Her life would go on, just without him in it.

She was surprised at her own reaction. The same thing had happened to her friend Clara a few years back, and she had been absolutely in pieces, unable to get out of bed for two weeks. Jo wondered whether the same thing would happen to her with time. At that moment she simply felt betrayed and melancholic, but not depressed or overwhelmed.

As she stopped in front of the sports store, the door opened and a customer stepped out, holding the door open for her. She thanked him and stepped inside, realizing that the customer had looked vaguely familiar, but the thought was soon forgotten when Jesse emerged from behind a rack of jerseys.

"Ethan told me to go once you got here," he said in greeting, placing a hanger on the rack.

"You told him?" she sighed in frustration. She hated having her business spread around.

"Not the specifics, of course. Just that we have some throwing out to do," he said, and her expression softened slightly. "I'll just get my things and I'm ready to go, okay?"

She nodded, and turned to gaze out of the store window while her brother disappeared into the back room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay guys, finally here is chapter 2 :) hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2: Another round and a game of darts**

"I can't believe you talked me into this!" she shouted in her brother's ear. She was leaning against the wall, her second drink in her hand as Jesse was throwing darts. The TV was loud and the men watching it even louder. Jesse had dragged her into his favorite sports bar, right around the corner from his house, insisting she spend the night in his spare room. She had tried to refuse, not wanting to impose, but truthfully she was thankful: she would not be sleeping in her own bedroom before she got a new bed. She actually didn't have a choice: she and Jesse had heaved the old one out on the street from her balcony.

"Well I couldn't leave you alone, could I? Who knows what you might have done," he joked, taking a sip of his beer and placing it down next to her.

"Haha, very funny. In all seriousness though, I really appreciate your help. I don't think I could've gone back there alone," she stated, as he began another round against himself.

"Don't mention it. You know you don't need to even hesitate to ask. And my offer to beat him up still stands, in fact, I might do it even if you don't ask," he said as he threw the final dart, missing the board.

"Man, you suck at that," they heard a male voice. She turned her head towards the source, seeing a man with dark, slightly shaggy hair and strong build, hidden under a black hoodie and jeans. He looked familiar to her, but she couldn't place his face. Jesse turned around and she noticed that he recognized the stranger.

"Hey man, thought you'd be training instead of drinking," Jesse said, taking another sip of his beer.

"Trainin' starts tomorrow. The last supper an' all that," the man said. She must've been looking at him funny, still trying to place his face, because he chuckled under his breath.

"You gonna introduce your friend?" he said to Jesse, gesturing towards her with his beer bottle.

"Jesse's my brother. I'm Jo, nice to meet you," she smiled, extending her hand towards him. He took it and shook her hand firmly.

"Name's Tommy," he said, and a light bulb went on in her head. It was Tommy Conlon, a well-known MMA fighter. She'd come to know about him since Alex was quite keen on MMA, and him.

"He's a regular at the store," Jesse explained, gathering the darts up for the millionth time.

"You got the best stuff, what can I say," he replied, leaning his shoulder on the wall next to Jo.

"Oh that's right, it was you who opened the door for me today at the store," she realized, and Tommy offered her a joyless smile.

"Knows how to treat the ladies, this one," Jesse said teasingly as he began yet another round.

"Huh. Nice to know that kind still exists," Jo replied, immediately wishing she could take it back. The conversation could get way too personal, and she didn't want it to with this guy she had never met and would probably never meet again.

"You had some trouble?" Tommy asked, just like she dreaded. She took a long sip of her drink, contemplating on what to say.

"Just a douche of an ex who turned out not to be trustworthy. He's a big fan of yours, by the way," she said, trying to turn the conversation around. Tommy looked at her, his jaw clenching a little.

"Wow, ten points to me. I just associated douches and your fans. Don't let me drink anymore," she said, placing her drink down and burying her face in her hands, breathing a long sigh. Jesse turned around to face them, looking at Tommy.

"Rough day," he mouthed and Tommy nodded, as she dropped her hands and looked at Tommy.

"I'm sorry about that," she spoke, feeling the tears forming again and she turned her eyes to her brother. "Can we go now?" she continued, biting her lip. Jesse wordlessly reached for their jackets and held hers open so that she could slip into it. She couldn't bring herself to look up and say bye, so she turned around and made her way out of the bar.

"I'll see you around," Jesse said to Tommy, before jogging after her.

Tommy watched as they exited, a light version of a familiar feeling coiling up inside him: anger. He realized she had thought he tensed up because she'd referred to his fans as assholes, but it was mostly the fact that she'd recognized who he was, which he wanted to avoid, mixed with something else. He'd never met this girl before, but he was irritated that a guy had treated her badly. Then again, he was always angry when women were treated badly.

As he made his way over to the bar to get another beer, he wondered what Jo's ex had done to her. Her skin had been mostly covered by a black long sleeved shirt and jeans, but he hadn't seen any bruises, nor had she visibly been careful of any body part that he noticed. _Must be something else then_, he thought as he gestured to the barkeep with his empty bottle. He remembered her from the door of the sports shop: she had looked sad even then. He had come to notice that look in women's eyes: he had seen it in her mother's eyes all too many times.

He realized that the alcohol was getting to him as well, usually he wouldn't have lingered on a subject like this, regarding a person he didn't even know, for so long. He knew he couldn't save every woman on the planet, hell, not even every woman in Pittsburgh from jerks. It didn't mean he didn't want to do what he could, but he didn't want to get involved in other people's business unless they wanted him to, simply because he didn't want other people to get involved in his business. And this girl didn't seem all too eager to talk about the man she called her ex with a guy she just met. Who could blame her?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Tell me where the bodies are buried**

She threw the blanket off of her, reveling in the sensation of the somewhat colder air hitting her exposed legs. Her brother kept the temperature at his apartment ridiculously high. At her own place she had gotten accustomed to the steady 70 F, whereas Jesse's place must've been near 80 F. Her hair stuck to the back of her neck and onto her forehead, but she knew she'd catch her death if she opened the window.

She had trouble getting any sleep that night. She tossed and turned, the image of Alex pounding into that redhead flickering in eyes, resulting in her keeping them open. Drifting in and out of consciousness she listened to her brother's snoring from down the hall. His very pregnant wife Nora had gotten up to go to the toilet at least five times during the night. Staring at the clock on the bedside table – 5:13 – Jo couldn't help thinking she didn't envy Nora's state: she was apparently expecting twins and she was already having a lot of trouble getting around with her expanded belly, with her due date still about a month away.

Suddenly frustration got the better of Jo, and she got up abruptly, pulling her sweatpants on and grabbing her hoodie, shoes and iPod. As she opened the door to the hallway, she was almost tackled by an enormous stomach.

"Oh God, Nora, you scared me," she whispered to avoid waking Jesse, her hand flying to her chest as her breathing slowly leveled.

"Sorry. I'm on my way to the bathroom again. Where are you going? It's like half past five," Nora replied, draping an arm around her belly and leaning on a side table with the other.

"Can't sleep. I thought I'd go for a run to try to wear myself out," Jo whispered, showing Nora her running shoes.

"You sure? The sun isn't even up yet," she said, rubbing her belly absentmindedly.

"I am. You go back to sleep," Jo replied, squeezing Nora's arm and making her way to the door, disappearing into the hall.

She rarely hung out in Manchester other than visiting Jesse and Nora, but it wasn't a bad neighborhood or anything, so she didn't think much of her sister-in-law's apprehension. Jogging along the quiet streets she pumped up the volume of her iPod, picking up her pace as well. She didn't see many people, which was why she liked to run in the morning: it was her alone-time. Then she realized that she'd have a lot more alone-time now.

She crossed the street to the park where she'd waited for her brother the day before, running along the lit gravel road across it. She was slightly wary of parks when it was dark, but the sun was already casting an orange hue to the horizon so she gathered up her courage anyway.

She could see someone jogging her way from the opposite direction, their head buried deep under a hood. There was something familiar about him, she thought as they neared each other, when she got a look at his face and it hit her: it was none other than Tommy Conlon. She considered turning around and running as fast as her legs would carry her, when he suddenly looked up and locked eyes with her, raising his hand in greeting. She returned the gesture, slowing her pace and pulling her earbuds out, and he did the same once he reached her.

"Hey," he greeted, breathing heavily. "Jo, right?"

She nodded. "Didn't expect to run into anyone I know at this ungodly hour."

He shrugged. "It's the best time to do it, the city's so quiet."

"True," she replied, offering him a crooked smile. A moment of silence fell between the two, as they both kept moving around to keep their muscles warm.

"Listen, Tommy, about last night…" she started, looking into the distance. He waited silently for her to continue.

"I just wanted to apologize for being all weird. I'm usually a little less… all over the place," she finished, finally looking him in the eye.

"No need to apologize. We all have rough days," he replied. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked, catching her off guard.

"You wanna hear about it?" she asked dumbfounded. He shrugged again. "Why not," he simply said, gesturing they keep walking as they talk. He turned around and they carried on in the direction she'd been going. She wondered how to begin, not knowing what to say. He noticed her biting her bottom lip.

"I'm sorry but this is a little weird. I just met you yesterday. I don't know anything about you, except what everyone else knows, and you know very little of me," she managed to get out, gesturing with her hands towards whomever she was talking about in turn.

"Tell me about yourself then," he simply said.

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you wanna tell me."

She stayed silent for a while, fumbling with her earbuds hanging in front of her belly. Then it just came out.

"I'm allergic to pineapple. I hate it when you ask people about their favorite music and they reply with "Whatever's on the radio." I love Christmas, but fall is hands down my favorite season. I own my own place. Someday I want to get a dog. My favorite book is _Jane Eyre_, and I don't think the latest movie version did any justice to it. I rarely drink coffee, I'm way more into tea. I have like 20 different varieties of tea at home. I love my brother to death, he's my rock. And I'm obsessed with shoes. I buy way too much shoes."

Somewhere along her speech they stopped walking, and he stared into her eyes as she rambled on. When she stopped, she realized she may have been a little forward.

"I don't know where that came from. Sorry," she said, eliciting a sigh from him.

"You gotta stop apologizin'," he spoke. "I like that you didn't go with "I was born and raised here and there and then I went to school and now I work there." Though I wouldn't have minded that either," he added as they started walking again.

"How about you?" she asked, receiving yet another shrug. "I mean, I saw a glimpse of you at that big tournament a couple years back, where you fought your brother, Ben or something?"

"Brendan," he corrected.

"Brendan, okay. And that you had some trouble with the military and were imprisoned, but Alex said…" she trailed off, forced to take a deep breath. He turned to look at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Alex is the ex."

"Figured as much," he simply stated, looking ahead again. She shook the idea of Alex and continued.

"Uhhh, anyway, he said that so many people, people who knew you in the marine corps, complained about the sentence that your case was reopened and you were released after six months."

Tommy stayed quiet, and she didn't know what to say so she said nothing for a while.

"You don't have a lot of privacy doing what you do, I guess," she stated, and he looked up.

"That's not one of the perks, no. What you said is pretty much true. Nowadays I'm workin' on opening my own gym, just don't have a place for it yet, nor the funds. I just started trainin' for another tournament. And I really hate tea," he finished, causing her to chuckle.

"Duly noted," she smiled, when she realized now would be the time to talk about Alex. As if he read her mind, he spoke.

"You know you don't need to tell me about this Alex. I just thought, you can, if you like."

She sighed.

"Caught him with someone else yesterday. In our… _my_ apartment. I was supposed to be in New York for one more day, decided to come back early to surprise him, but I guess it went the other way around. I haven't spoken to him since."

Tommy didn't say anything, so she continued.

"A part of me can't believe he'd do this. But the other part… The other part thinks I should've seen this coming, should've done something different."

Tommy stopped walking again, grabbing her arm so that she'd stop too.

"Hey. Don't blame yourself for this. It was him who couldn't keep it in his pants."

She let out a dry chuckle.

"Thanks. It just sucks I gave him two and a half years of my life," she sighed. "I still can't believe I'm telling this to _you _of all people. I mean, besides you only Jesse and his wife know," she said, looking up into his eyes. "You're really easy to talk to."

"Just wanted to help you out. I've learned it helps to talk, so I offered to listen," he spoke. Her curiosity awoke.

"How's it helped you?" she asked, and he tensed up, taking a step to signal that he wanted to keep walking, and she obliged.

"You can trust me. Just tell me if I'm too nosy, I won't be offended."

"It's not that. Talkin' about myself is just something I don't really do, except for therapy, where I have to. But I guess it's only fair, since you talked about Alex," he replied. "I uh… my Pops is a recovering alcoholic. Used to smack me and Brendan and Ma around. So I've been carrying around my bitterness towards him, and Brendan for staying with him when me and Ma left. And I suffered from PTSD after I got back from Iraq, but that's getting better. And I was addicted to pain meds."

He turned to look at her, seeing her mouth was hanging wide open.

"They don't print everything on the papers, then."

"No, they don't apparently. But you said that talking has helped you?" she asked, coaxing him to continue.

"I've been going to therapy for a year. Took me a while to admit I needed help. But my relationship with Brendan is getting better, and with Pops too. And I kicked the pills."

"That's good," she simply stated, thinking how miniscule her own problem sounded compared to his. She felt ridiculous. They walked in silence for a while, when they found themselves in front of the building where Jesse lived.

"So this is Jesse's," she just stated, stopping and pointing at the door. He stopped and looked at the door.

"Um, can I take you out for coffee or something?" she heard her voice saying, and his eyes turned towards her.

"To thank you for listening. Just as friends," she quickly added.

"You still wanna hang out with me after what I told you? Most women bolt at this stage," he spoke, and she smiled.

"Pfft, please. Point me to the person who has no baggage," she said, and could see a hint of a grin on his lips before it disappeared.

"Coffee sounds good. When?"

"How's Friday at ten?" she suggested, and he nodded. "You know that place near Addison's?" she asked, referring to Jesse's work place with its name.

"Sure. Meet you there," he said, plopping his earbuds in and turning, jogging off.

She noticed that the sun was already up. How long had they been walking? As she unlocked the street door and entered the hall, she thought how she'd mentioned that Alex was a fan. _And I just asked him for coffee. God I hope he doesn't think I'm just doing this to make Alex jealous_… she thought, rubbing her jaw with her palm as she climbed the stairs. _How that man is still standing after what his life has been like… No wonder he doesn't like to be recognized or talk about himself. _Thinking about his troubles made her want to be extra nice to him: she was always nice to people, but something about Tommy called for extra nice. Not in a kiss-ass way, but in a way that called for a friend to be there for him.

He jogged on, music blaring into his ears. He was way behind his schedule, he was supposed to be at the gym half an hour ago. But he couldn't bring himself to tell Jo he had to go. There was something about her that called out to him. He had seen women after break ups, crying out their sorrows loudly in bars, fueled with alcohol: what Jo had called 'all over the place' was in his opinion composed and calm. But something made him want to be there for her: he suspected she might break down, sooner or later.

He didn't know what had made him open up to her about some of his most hidden secrets, but he was glad he had, at least for the time being. It didn't seem to scare her off, he thought as he rounded the corner and could see the gym up the road. There was a calmness around her that made him want to trust her, he realized, as he entered the gym.

"You're late, Conlon," his trainer called out as soon as they locked eyes. "Better start running faster."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The apprehensive brother**

"You did _what_?" Jesse asked as he placed a steaming cup on the counter in front of Jo.

"You heard me," she replied, swirling the tea bag around, when Nora emerged.

"I didn't, what'd you do?" she asked, holding her lower back, her robe hanging open and exposing her enormous baby bump. Jesse leaned on the island separating him from his sister.

"She's taking Tommy Conlon out for coffee," he spoke, glaring at Jo.

"Wow, you certainly don't waste any time," Nora commented, bumping Jo's shoulder with her fist.

"It's not like that. It's just as friends. I told him so," she explained.

"Why not? The man is hot," Nora continued, making Jesse glare at her for a change.

"Not as hot as you, obviously. But you know, hot enough for someone else, like Jo," she added, making her way over to Jesse and hugging him the best that she could.

"You can't date him," Jesse continued with his arm around his wife.

"I'm not going to! For God's sake, I just broke up with someone yesterday. And while we're at it, you seriously can't tell me what to do," Jo retorted.

"I can tell you not to date him!"

"And what makes you think you can forbid me?"

"There's some stuff that you don't know."

"Stuff like his imprisonment? Like the fact that he's a recovering addict? That he's going to therapy, trying to rebuild his relationship with his family? Which one of these don't I know?" she snapped. Jesse fell silent.

"Didn't think so. Now, I'm _not_ going to date him. I'm going to drink coffee with him like friends do, because he was really nice to me this morning and it's the right thing to do to reciprocate. And right now I'm going to take a shower while you cool the fuck off," she spoke, getting on her feet and making her way to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

She caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her eyes were wide, her chest heaving a little. She had really worked herself up, defending their right to hang out. She was twenty-six, for crying out loud, wasn't she old enough to know who she could and couldn't hang out with? She loved Jesse dearly, but she couldn't understand his need to protect her from Tommy, especially since there was nothing romantic going on.

A soft knock pulled her from her thoughts.

"Be quick, we're meeting the locksmith at your place in an hour," she heard Jesse's voice, and couldn't be mad with him anymore. She opened the door, meeting her brother's apologetic gaze, reaching out for a hug.

Two hours later she stood in the center of her living room, looking at it with her head tilted. She owned a two bedroom apartment on the seventh floor quite near the heart of Pittsburgh. The kitchen was to the right of the door, an island separating it from the living area, which had big windows and a door to the balcony. In the corner behind the kitchen there was room for a medium sized dining table and chairs. To the left of the door there was a corridor with doors to the bedrooms and the bathroom, and her walk-in closet.

"I think I need to do some changes around here," she stated, as her brother emerged with two water bottles.

"Like what?" he asked, twisting the cap of the bottle.

"Like new wallpapers or paint, new furniture, stuff like that. A fresh start. I might even retile the bathroom."

"Wouldn't it be easier to move?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"I can't move. I love this place. The fact that he did what he did _here_ doesn't change it."

"Right, I forgot. I can take you shopping on Saturday if you like," he offered, but she shook her head.

"No, I have to go today. But you can come around on Saturday to help me with things if you like," she smiled and he sighed in frustration at the prospect of manual labor.

"Can I borrow your car?" she asked, holding her hand out for the keys.

"Don't you have to go to work?" he pointed out, fumbling about his pockets before he found the keys.

"I had a couple of personal days unused. I'm using one today. And maybe tomorrow," she explained as he dropped the keys in her palm.

"You really are a dream employee," he pointed out and chuckled.

"And a dream sister," she added, making her way to the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Got another chapter for you lovelies! Hope you enjoy :)**

PS. I don't want to offend anyone so just in case someone has particularly strong views on Nathaniel Hawthorne's **_The Scarlet Letter_**** or on topics relating to that book, I just want to remind you that these are the characters talking, and the opinions expressed are theirs.**

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**Chapter 5: I promise to keep the puritans out of it**

It was Friday at 9:55 when she entered the coffee shop. With a quick glance she didn't see Tommy anywhere, so she walked up to the counter.

"Hey Jo, how are you?" the familiar barista called when he saw her.

"Hey Mick, I'm good, how are you?" she replied, setting her handbag on the countertop.

"Never better. Is Alex joining you?"

"Uh…" she trailed off. _Just like ripping off a band-aid._ "Alex will not be joining me… ever again, let's put it like that," she said, accompanying her words with a smile in an attempt to avoid the pity party.

"Oh," Mick replied, visibly uncomfortable. "Okay. Sorry about that. Can I get you some tea?" he asked collecting himself, grabbing a cup.

"Actually today I think I'd like a latte, thanks," she said, when she heard her name being called, and as she turned she locked eyes with Tommy. He approached and stopped next to her in front of the counter.

"Hey, right on time. What'll you have?" she asked him.

"A regular coffee for me, thanks," Tommy said to Mick, turning to Jo.

"Just take a seat, I'll bring your coffee. Go on," she instructed smiling with a shooing motion of her hand, and he complied, choosing a table near the back with the least traffic passing it. She joined him shortly.

"Regular black, as ordered," she stated as she placed the cup in front of him, sitting opposite him.

"No tea?" he asked, eyeing her tall latte as she sat down.

"I'm in dire need of caffeine. I stayed up until three in the morning, ripping off wallpaper," she explained, shaking off her coat. He raised a brow.

"I'm redoing the whole place, floor to ceiling."

"Huh. Need help?" he asked, discarding his own jacket and leaning against the back support.

"Are you serious? Cause I really could use it," she looked at him, her face almost beaming.

"Why not," he simply said. She looked him in the eye.

"Why are you so nice to me?" she asked suddenly.

"I don't know. Maybe I want to show you that not all guys are jerks," he said, taking a small sip of his coffee. She smiled.

"Well, I do in fact know that not all guys are jerks. But it's nice to reminded nonetheless."

She smiled, and he briefly smiled back.

"Why are you so nice to me?" he asked in turn, leaning in.

"Because I want to," she replied, taking a sip, gazing at him from behind the rim of the glass. She interpreted his expression as almost a smile.

They were silent for a minute, each paying more attention to their drink than their companion. She noticed that it wasn't uncomfortable, to be silent around him. He was grateful that she didn't feel the need to fill every second with talking.

"So what do you need help with?" he asked suddenly, placing his cup on the table. She contemplated for a moment.

"Well my new furniture is arriving a week from Tuesday. I wouldn't mind if you wanted to help with getting stuff in their right places," she said with a slightly apologetic look.

"No problem, just tell me what time and where."

As she told him where she lived, his eyebrows rose.

"I live just around the corner from you, that grey building with the hardware store," he said, surprising her.

"Huh. So we're basically neighbors," she stated, playing with her half full glass of coffee. Their residential area turned out to be a fruitful topic of conversation: how they had ended up living there, what they thought of the area, they even recognized some of the regulars that hung out in their part of town as the other described them.

He finished his coffee and popped a toothpick in his mouth.

"Where do you work?" he asked.

"Publishing house. I'm an editor."

"So you do what exactly?" he asked.

"Well, I'm given a book or script and I read it and then refine it, sometimes removing what's unnecessary and highlighting important parts, making sure nothing disrupts the continuity and stuff like that. It's basically honing," she explained. Her job didn't sound too appealing to him.

"Right. Now I get why you wanted to tell me your favorite book," he replied.

"What's yours?" she asked.

"I don't read."

"Ever?"

"Well I read _The Scarlett Letter_ in high school. That book was absolute shit. Oh, sorry," he confessed, and she grinned.

"No wonder you don't read, that book _is_ shit," she laughed, and for the first time she saw an actual smile on his face.

"If you ever wanna give reading another go, I could point you to some titles, and I promise to leave the Puritans out of it," she offered, and he chuckled in acknowledgement. She glanced at her watch.

"Oh God, is that the time? I have to be at work in ten minutes," she said, rising from her chair. He got up as well.

"It was really nice to see you again," she spoke as she wrapped her scarf around her neck.

"You too. And thanks for the coffee," he replied, pulling his jacket on.

"Give me your phone," she instructed. He looked at her surprised, but did as he was told. She grabbed it and looked at it, her brow furrowing.

"Wow, I don't know how to use this… okay, wait a second… there. That's my number," she said, handing the phone back. "If you're bored or want to hammer or something, just give me a call or a text," she explained. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I meant with the renovation. Get your mind out of the gutter, Conlon," she smiled, and he gave her a crooked grin.

"I'll see you around then," she said as they walked to the door, which he then held out for her.

"Yeah, see ya," he replied as she waved and took off with a couple running steps to get across the street before the light turned red.


End file.
